Speaking at the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) summit in October, Jacek Utko,
design director for Bonnier Business Press International said the iPad
would be key for newspapers' development, but requires innovative
thinking in terms of design. "A lot of newspapers are just giving PDFs,
it doesn't make any
sense, because the iPad is not a reading device. People that want to
just mirror the newspaper, I think this is a mistake," he told
Journalism.co.uk.

The Research and Development team at Bonnier, who are asking for feedback on its products in the Bonnier beta lab, hopes the News+ concept will differ from traditional newspaper print editions and websites and offer "a third product that starts up where the physical newspaper ends".

"The most important principle of News+ is that we want to let our readers get closer to the news. In terms of news consumption, an intimate, touch experience where reading is a pleasure and the crystal-clear hi-resolution screen lets photography take its rightful place as an important part of the news narrative," says Alexander Jamal, head of concept development, Bonnier R&D, in a blog post.

"But with closeness we also mean that we want our readers to step into the news room and be a part of the conversation. The News+ concept includes a variety of features enabling such a relation between news editors and readers."

The model will first be used for the Dagens Nyheter iPad app, DN+, which hopefully be released later this week. The app will cost 99 SEK (approximately £9) a month for subscribers to the print edition and 199 (£18) a month for iPad-only subscribers. The News+ system will deliver a new edition for the iPad each day.

The latest podcast

Social media is a vital source of information for news organisations but verifying claims and rumours is becoming more and more difficult.

Are news outlets doing enough to safeguard and promote the truth? A recent report from the Tow Center, titled Lies, Damn Lies and Viral Content, suggests they are not, and demands higher standards of journalists in making sure the truth shines through.